Commentaire sur Le Lévitique 11:27
וְכֹ֣ל ׀ הוֹלֵ֣ךְ עַל־כַּפָּ֗יו בְּכָל־הַֽחַיָּה֙ הַהֹלֶ֣כֶת עַל־אַרְבַּ֔ע טְמֵאִ֥ים הֵ֖ם לָכֶ֑ם כָּל־הַנֹּגֵ֥עַ בְּנִבְלָתָ֖ם יִטְמָ֥א עַד־הָעָֽרֶב׃
Tous ceux d’entre les animaux quadrupèdes qui marchent à l’aide de pattes, sont impurs pour vous: quiconque touche à leur cadavre sera souillé jusqu’au soir,
Rashi on Leviticus
על כפיו UPON ITS PAWS — such as a dog, bear and cat (which have no hoofs).
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Rashbam on Leviticus
על כפיו, on its paws such as bears and dogs.
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Tur HaArokh
וכל הולך על כפיו, “and all creatures that ”walk,” i.e. move on their paws, etc.” Whereas in connection with the mammals that are forbidden to eat, the Torah had lumped them together under the heading of בהמה, here the Torah uses the heading חיה as neither having split hooves nor chewing the cud. Why did not the Torah mention the disqualification from being as a “Kosher” being one that walks on paws already at the beginning of our chapter?
Nachmanides speculates that possibly the reason is that even gentiles as a rule do not eat animals that walk on their paws. [this sounds strange to this editor, as surely in Nachmanides’ time eating of hares and rabbits which walk on their paws was already commonplace? Ed.] At any rate the term חיה is a sub category of the comprehensive term בהמה, so that there was no need to refer to that feature earlier.
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Siftei Chakhamim
Bear and cat. Meaning: Their paws are not covered with hooves.
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Rashi on Leviticus
טמאים הם לכם ARE UNCLEAN UNTO YOU, in respect to any contact with them.
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